Nebbiolo

Pronounced: Neh-bee-oh-low

History: Italy's main contribution to the ranks of classic vine varieties, Nebbiolo, is at home in the valleys of Piedmont, where it makes Barolo and Bar-baresco. The vine is hardly grown outside Italy, with only a few vines in North and South America. Nebbiolo's Piedmont home vineyards are hilly, and misty in autumn and cold in winter. The grapes ripen late in the season, sometimes as late as November, and need the warmth that south-facing slopes can offer. They are dark, tough-skinned and high in acidity, meaning that wood-ageing is almost essential to tame the resulting wine.

Description: The juice from the Nebbiolo grape is high in acid, alcohol and tannin content. It benefits from long barrel maturation to develop as a rich, dry red wine with a fruity berry and floral nose and a complex full palate which will continue to improve with age. Nebbiolo is used in the production of sparkling or still dry or sweet red table wines.

Regions: The King Valley region of Victoria, the Margaret River region of Western Australia and the McLaren Vale region of South Australia.

Cellaring: long-lived, and need time in bottle, and in the decanter, to soften their tannins and bring out their bouquets. Ages well, 30+ years to develop and soften. Well aged Nebbiolo beholds a brownish rim color.